EDNA FATIMA, televiewer: “I find TV hosts’ overly dramatic way of talking annoying. Mel Tiangco always seems to be hosting ‘Magpakailanman,’ even when she’s anchoring ‘24 Oras.’ An overload of vocal bombast is also the style of Mike Enriquez and Noli de Castro, who sounds like he’s in a boxing ring. Even Jessica Soho is beginning to sound like a preacher in a pulpit. They treat television like radio, and undermine viewers’ intelligence and taste—it’s insulting.

“I hope younger broadcasters won’t follow in their footsteps. I tip my hat off to Tina Monzon-Palma, a role model who has remained cool and professional after all these years.”

Other notes:

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Jonathan Catunao, engineer: “Enpress, PMPC and Famas all snubbed ‘Thy Womb,’ which has won international awards. The film might suffer the same fate as ‘Himala,’ which got no award from local award-giving bodies but earned recognition in Chicago, Berlin and from CNN.

Unbiased coverage

“In 1983, ‘Himala’ went head-to-head with remarkable movies like ‘Oro, Plata, Mata’ and ‘Relasyon.’ With formidable ‘opponents’ like these, one could say that it was simply a matter of taste and opinion. Flash-forward to 2013, ‘Thy Womb’ is facing defeat, not at the hands of a film by Bernal or Brocka, but against inferior albeit popular big-studio productions.”

Merly Hernandez, banker: “I’m hoping that our major networks will provide a comprehensive, intelligent and unbiased coverage of the May 13 elections. I wish to see alert, focused and objective reporters who can ask questions intelligently, listen well, and draw intelligent insights into the electoral process.”

Leon Gaspillo, media consultant: “Television is a powerful medium for values formation and character-building. While the news, politics and the economy are being presented objectively, entertainment leaves a lot to be desired. There are countless performers singing and speaking simultaneously at the top of their voices, yielding a cacophony of annoying sounds.

“Show biz talk shows intrude into the personal lives of actors, and there’s excessive emotionalizing on teleseryes. Are these the ‘role models’ we want young viewers to emulate?

“We educate viewers by imbuing them with a sense of what’s good and empowering. We need an advocacy group to assess the relevance and social significance of TV shows, and help them improve the quality of their content.”